Train pipe connection



March 8, E. E GOLD TRAIN PIPE CONNECTION Filed July 10, 1928 /f. vvvvw By Alorneys,

Patented Mar. 8, 1932 i neoLn-.oivnw -Yonx' .n.fnssrGNoaToeoLn can HEATING-a LIGHTING f-coMrANor 'Baoo1rr.Y1\r,.` Nnwvomz, A conronamrononginnw Yoan..

application nieful-yio,

, sections of such train pipes consist of vrio straight lengths of rubbertubing to the ends of which the pipe couplings were connected. End sections soA formed could be readily bent by hand to a suicient degree to effect a coupling without theaid of tools.V As the size of train units increased, it became necessary to use train pipes of larger and larger diameters,` as a result of which the flexible tubing used in the end sections had to be correspondingly increased in diameter. A stage was finally reached in this development at whichV the tubingwhich would have been required would have been so stiff and inflexible as to Vrender it practically impossible to bend it from its rectilinear form to the degree of curvature necessary to elfect a coupling without the aid of tools. The use o f flexible tubing as end sections fortrainpipes of large diameters was, therefore, abandoned altogether, and for a number of years large sums of money have been appropriated'to experiments in an attempt to use metalend sections made sulliciently flexible toefl'ect acoupling by means of ball joints and swivel joints of various types. Such articulated metal end sections are not only relatively expensive as compared with simple flexible tubing, but have not been found to be altogether satis-V factory. ]t is, therefore7 an object of the present invention to provide an end section of flexible tubing of dimensions and material such that, if made in rectilinear form, vit could not be readily flexed by hand to a sulfi-y cient degree of curvature to effect a coupling, saidsection havin a normal curvature so closely approximatlng that of a coupled section that it may be readily flexed to the extent necessary to effect a coupling without the aid of tools. A

In the drawings illustrating the preferred form vof the invention,-

i928. Aserial no eareis.

glleirible tubing adapted foruseasa-nend secltion'of a 'i'.rainpipe,3 a partof 4saidpiece"of tubing being indicated 1 as having been cut away1 torevealfits. internal"structure-werf. y Fig. 2 is a-cross-sectionfthrough the-piece Y V`Figure lisa sideviewof api'ecefof'heavy:

.of Ytubing illustrated iin"j Figs )1, the section Abeing taken along. the"line"2+-.2=ithereofand vviewedl in the arrows.,." y Fig. 3 is a side :view of'a pair of train pipe end sections'including :elements ofzcurved direction indicated. the

exi'ble f tubing .embodyingthe invention,` the Y sections: being indicated in the relative .positions4 which theyassume. when'the ends. ofl the v-endthereofand securely held in placefby a j j -cla1np. 22. l Eacli vend` section V2O` is securedito. the end of a' train'pp'e 23 by -suitable fittings,

` such?, for examplaas Athe :elbowVl 24 andlthreadv ed coupling v25. 1 To provide'` for the"couplingY fof the endisections' they have vat 'their lower `:jep/nds pipe couplings 26 ofany suitable'fcharf "iacter, such, for example-,las the coupling illu'sf,

jtrated ini the KitchenY Patent' Nol 1,056,184,

of.-March`18, 1913.1" Pipe couplingsjof this Ageneral type are well known iny the prior art and need not be described-Vindetail; f l i i.' If2desired, eachof'thee'nd sectionsmay be supported by means'V of af chain 27 havingone i Tendconnected-with"arf eye 28'provided for such `purpose on the couplingand the other end connected 'with-any fixed part of thecar structure(not shown)`.f '1 i-'gIt should fbevkeptrin mind, in vviewing the 'ftrai-nl sectionsas illustrated inFig. 3,-thatjtheY vcurvature` ofl the tubular elements'20 is? that inwhich they v'are moulded andfcured and: not j a curvature resulting fromstress applied .to :the end sectionsfby, thefsupporting chains 27. :lltfwillibefapparent-from a comparisonof y Figs. '3 and v4L" thatv the coupling elements v2.6

. 1maybe coupledby merely-raisingfthe"ends of the oupledfsections. l

In Fig. Y1 is illustrated one o f the tubular end sections, which may be constriicted of any suitable plastic material having the properties of rubber composition. Such tubular sec- "the' breken lines 2'0" represent curvature K .tion may be built up of various lavers of lmaterial herein indicated as'comprising three layers 29,- 30 yand 3l, reinorce'd with asbestos "-fabric oroth'er fibrousl material, the vvh'ole structure being moulded to thev desired curved to approXimata-vvhen completed, the curvature of a 'coupled end section.`

The particular form' and degree of curva- 25 ture of the tubular section is a matter of secondary signiican'ce-. It is important, however, that the curvature approximate that of a coupled section' sufiiciently to enable' a trainhand, v'vithoutther aid; of tools, to effect a coupling of a pair of end sections madeoi flexible tubing of such dimensions' and stiffness that such'v coupling could not be readily effected ii the end sections were made of ordinary straight tubing.. This reduction of the' degree of bending of the end section necessary to i effectl a coupling' materially reduces the distortion of thevva-ll structure of the tubing of which it is made' at each coupling operation,

thus greatly increasing its period of usefulness, thereby effecting a corresponding econornfv of labor,material and serv-ice. Y i

End sections m'ade in accrdancevv'ith this invention Vare relatively simple inl construction as' comparedA with articulated metal end sections and have been found as a result of Y experiment to be more economical and satis- -factory than' the more complicated and elaborate constructions which they are designed to replace.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the preferred formherein selected fori-purposes of illustration butV should V,be regarded as including modifications and variations Vmy name. v

the other about parallel horizontal axes, and each, of said tubes ybeing of such physical properties and dimensions that it could not be readily flexed from rectilinear form to the degree of curvature necessary to effect a cou .pling with a complementary section Without the aid oit-tools, eachtube having a normal curvature so closely approximating the ogee form of a coupled section that it may be readily iiered by' li'a'd to the 'etent-reijuired to te"` 'couplinghead-therotational n ioyementnecessary to eect a coupling.

Y lnivitness whereof, I have hereunto signed EDWARD E. GOLD.

form` and vulcanized or otherwise cured so as thereof Within the scope of the-appended fk claim.

What is claimed is A- pair 'of end coupling sections fora train pipe comprising tubes of flexible material having the physicalp'roperties of a composition of rubberl and fibrous material, each provided at one-end with mea'nsrfor connection With a train pipe section' and at the other end with a coupling head, said heads being complemental and adaptedto be' connected *byY a i rotational movement et each with respect to 

